December 2021
03Dec

EU Pension Taxation: Removing Another Brick in the Wall?

By Hans van Meerten & Philip Bennett On 11 November 2021, the Court of Justice (Third Chamber) decided the case of MH and ILA (Pension rights in case of bankruptcy)(C-168/20). There was no Opinion by the Advocate-General. Although usually a sign thatthe case was not that important,there are exceptions.This seems one o them. This stems from a reference from the High Court of Justice of England and Wales (‘the High Court’) to the Court of Justice. The referred question related to...

December 3, 2021
Articles, Pension design, , ,
Read more...
03Dec

UK. Trustees warn lack of member appetite for ESG investing is hindering progress

More than half (53 per cent) of professional defined benefit (DB) pension trustees have cited the lack of member appetite for environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing as a factor hindering the growth of sustainable investing. The study, conducted by Charles Stanley Fiduciary Management, found that 35 per cent felt a lack of understanding about the options available as a hindrance, while the suspicion that ESG investing was just a fad, fears that it could harm returns, and underwhelming investment...

December 3, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
02Dec

UK. New FCA rules require firms to give ‘stronger nudge’ towards pension guidance

From 1st June 2022 pension providers will have to give customers a stronger nudge to Pension Wise when they decide to access their savings. Read also UK government floats plan to relax fee limit on pension fund investments Providers will be required to refer customers to Pension Wise guidance, explain the nature and purpose of the guidance and offer to book a Pension Wise guidance appointment in most cases. Read also UK. Trustees warn lack of member appetite for ESG investing is...

December 2, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
01Dec

UK pensions regulator signs off on first ‘superfund’

UK pension regulators have given a green light to the first “super fund”, a new and controversial integrated vehicle designed to take over the operation of traditional pension schemes. Clara Pentions, which is dominated by reinsurance firm Wilton Li and investment firm Six Street, will be the first superfund to get regulatory approval on Tuesday.Regulators in the name of Clara list The number of superfunds that are considered to have good governance, good and good management, and good capital. Approval of...

December 1, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...

November 2021
30Nov

UK government floats plan to relax fee limit on pension fund investments

A fee limit protecting UK retirement savers from high charges is poised to be loosened further under proposals aimed at prompting pension funds to put billions of pounds into unlisted investments like private equity. On Tuesday the government will announce plans to allow “well-designed” performance fees, typically levied by private equity and venture capital managers, to be excluded from a workplace pension fee cap, according to details of the proposal seen by the Financial Times. These fees are currently included in...

November 30, 2021
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
30Nov

US. The Importance of Good Data for DB Plan PRT Activities

It’s important for plan sponsors to have clean data on defined benefit (DB) plan participants to help them identify and validate deaths, locate participants and beneficiaries, and manage uncashed checks, according to speakers at a webinar, “The Data Dilemma: The Impact Bad Data Has on a Pension Plan,” presented by Pension Benefit Information (PBI) Research Services and DIETRICH. Mike Irey, director of operations at PBI Research, told webinar attendees that plans can have inaccurate or missing personal identifiable information (PII)...

November 30, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
29Nov

US. SEC guidance opens the door for more ESG proxy proposal

More shareholder proposals with a focus on environmental and social issues are likely to make it onto company proxy statements in 2022, thanks to new Securities and Exchange Commission guidance, sources said. In a legal bulletin published Nov. 3, the SEC's division of corporation finance rescinded its last three legal bulletins — promulgated under the Trump administration — related to Exchange Act Rule 14a-8, that concern shareholder proposals. The latest bulletin also outlined changes in the division's views on what...

November 29, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
29Nov

Here Are The Regulatory Changes In The Kenyan Pensions Industry

As of the end of 2020, the pension industry ranked second as the most preferred mode of saving with assets worth 1.4 trillion shillings after bank deposits at 4.0 trillion shillings. The graph below highlights the sizes of different saving channels and capital market products in Kenya as of December 2020: Despite the historical growth, there is still room for improvement given that the Kenyan Pension Schemes’ AUM was equivalent to 13.3 percent of the country’s GDP in 2020. Compared to other...

November 29, 2021
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
29Nov

Chinese government push for better maternity leave met with shrugs or concerns it will promote discrimination against women

A dozen regional governments in China have lengthened maternity leave allowances in the past month to incentivise families to have more children amid concerns of an impending demographic crisis. However, many people questioned whether the policies would make any difference in China’s collapsing birth rate and pointed out that it could increase discrimination against women in the workforce. Some rule changes allow women to more than double their maternity leave, while others are making policies that increase maternity perks as families...

November 29, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
29Nov

New EU rules pose problems for institutions

European asset owners and money managers expect to be challenged when it comes to aligning their investment strategies with the new European Union sustainable finance rules that go into effect in 2022 as regulatory requirements appear inconsistent. That's because investors and fund managers are still having to source the data to determine the environmental impact of their portfolio companies so they can disclose the degree to which their holdings — and therefore their portfolios — contribute to a carbon-intense economy. They...

November 29, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...